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Billing code S0621 · Physician & professional

S0621 Medicaid reimbursement rate by state (2026)

Routine ophthalmological examination including refraction. Medicaid pays a median of $59.29 for S0621 across 5 states, from $41.82 in Texas to $69.20 in Delaware.

Data as of Oct 5, 20265 statesEvery rate links to its official source

States publishing
5
National median
$59.29units vary by state
Lowest
$41.82Texas
Highest
$69.20Delaware
Answer

What does Medicaid pay for S0621?

5 state Medicaid programs publish a fee-for-service rate for S0621. The national median is $59.29 (units differ between states). Delaware pays the most, $69.20, and Texas the least, $41.82, a 1.7x spread.

State ranking

S0621 rate by state: highest, middle and lowest

One like-for-like fee-for-service rate per state, ranked. The workspace lists all 5 states with every variant, modifier and effective date.

#StateMedicaid rateUnitPer hourManaged-care plans% of Medicare
1Delaware Source · since 2024-01-01$69.20——Plans negotiate; applies out of network—
2Arkansas Source · since 2025-06-13$60.23——Not classified—
3North Carolina Source · since 2025-10-01$59.29——Plans must pay at least this—
See all 5 states for S0621 — start free

2 more states, with every modifier and provider-type variant, rate history and the plan rule in each state. 14-day free trial, no credit card.

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Rates are per the unit shown for each state; units can differ between states. Medicare amounts are computed from the CMS relative value file and locality cost indices; states with several Medicare localities show a range. Confirm rates with the payer before billing.

Track S0621 in your states. Get an alert when any state changes it, with every variant and the managed-care rule.
Guide

How to read this table

  • Order. States are listed from the highest published rate to the lowest. No single unit is shared by 8 or more states for S0621, so the order is by published amount and is not a like-for-like rank.
  • Medicaid rate. The most the state's fee-for-service program pays for one unit, as published. 3 of the 5 states list more than one rate for S0621, by modifier, provider type or setting; the table shows the one that matches the provider level and setting used across states, without add-ons.
  • Unit. None of the 5 schedules prints a separate unit for S0621, so each amount is a flat payment for one service as the code defines it.
  • Per hour. S0621 is not billed in time units in these states, so no hourly figure is shown.
  • Managed-care plans. The rule the state sets for its plans on this rate. What each rule means is explained below.
  • % of Medicare. No Medicare physician fee schedule amount is on file for S0621, so there is no percentage.
  • Source and date. Each Source link opens the state's own document; “since” is the date the rate took effect.
Context

Why S0621 rates differ between states

Published rates for S0621 run from $41.82 in Texas to $69.20 in Delaware, a 1.7x gap in the same unit. Half the states pay more than the median of $59.29 and half pay less. The usual reasons for a spread like this in physician & professional rates:

  • Many schedules pay differently by place of service (office versus facility) and by practitioner, and nurse practitioners and physician assistants are often paid a percentage of the physician amount.
  • Modifiers such as professional or technical component, bilateral, multiple procedure and assistant at surgery change the amount paid, and states apply them with their own percentages.
  • Primary-care and pediatric add-ons, enhanced rates for certain specialties and targeted increases for access problems change individual codes without moving the rest of the schedule.

Timing matters too. 1 state set the current rate for S0621 in 2026 or later. A state that has not updated its rate in years will drift down the ranking as others raise theirs.

Managed care

What managed-care plans pay for S0621

No managed-care plan publishes what it pays for S0621. What is public is the rule each state's plan contracts set, and that rule decides how much the published rate matters when you contract with a plan.

In 1 state, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 3 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. The rule for the remaining 1 state is not classified yet.

  • Plans negotiate; the published rate applies out of network (3 states). In-network rates can be above or below the published rate. The published rate is the benchmark both sides know, and the fallback if no contract is signed.
  • Plans must pay at least the published rate (1 state). The published rate is your floor. Negotiate up from it, and if a plan pays less, the contract provision is the basis for a payment dispute.

Plan-negotiated rates are never estimated here. To see the rule and its citation for a particular state, open that state's managed-care page, for example Delaware managed care.

Billing

Units and billing for S0621

S0621 is a HCPCS Level II temporary national code in the physician & professional line, billed mostly by physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and other licensed practitioners. S codes were created for private payers and are widely used by Medicaid programs for services Medicare does not cover, such as home nursing and home infusion. Units range from 15 minutes to a day.

Where a state publishes separate facility and non-facility amounts, the non-facility (office) amount is usually higher because the practice carries the overhead. Physician-fee-schedule codes are billed per service: one unit is one occurrence unless the code itself is defined by time or quantity.

Before billing, confirm the rate, unit and any modifier with the state's current schedule or the plan: the amounts here are as published, not a guarantee of payment.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What does Medicaid pay for S0621?

It depends on the state. Of the 5 states with a published fee-for-service rate, the median is $59.29. Delaware pays the most ($69.20) and Texas the least ($41.82).

Which state pays the highest Medicaid rate for S0621?

Delaware, at $69.20, effective 2024-01-01.

Which state pays the lowest Medicaid rate for S0621?

Texas, at $41.82, effective 2023-09-01.

What unit is S0621 billed in?

None of the 5 schedules prints a separate unit for S0621, so each amount is a flat payment for one service as the code defines it.

Do managed-care plans pay the same rate for S0621?

Not necessarily. In 1 state, the published rate binds plans: a floor, a pass-through or a state-set rate. In 3 states, plans negotiate and the published rate is a benchmark or out-of-network default. The rule for the remaining 1 state is not classified yet. Each rule is cited to the plan contract, statute or notice in the workspace.